Lucy Clark Sanders, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Gran Clark of Russellville, graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Charleston School of Law on May 16, 2009. She was one of 136 students to receive the Juris Doctor degree. Mrs. Sanders, a 2005 graduate of Russellville High School and a 2005 graduate of Furman University, was a member of the Charleston Law Review and was published in the Mid-Summer 2008 edition of the Review. She was also a member of the schoolís Moot Court Board and was recognized for logging over 100 hours of pro bono service.

The Class of 2009 distinguished itself by giving 11,553 hours of pro bono public service to local and state organizations over the last three years. The Charleston School of Law is one of the few in the country that requires students to donate at least 30 hours to public service projects as a requirement of graduation.

The convocation was held at McAlister Field House on the campus of The Citadel. Keynote Speaker, U.S. House Majority Whip, Rep. James Clyburn urged the students to “be victorious – to overcome the unexpected, to beat the odds.” About the profession of law, he added, “It’s good to be good, but it’s much better to do good.”

Mrs. Sanders will begin her law career as a clerk for South Carolina Circuit Judge, Deadra Jefferson, in Charleston. She is married to Nicholas Sanders of Leavenworth, Kansas, who will be attending the Charleston School of Law beginning in August.

Sara Clark Perry, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Gran Clark, of Russellville, received a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from the Medical University of South Carolina on Friday, May 15 and was honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, May 14 at Seacoast Church in Charleston, S.C. Mrs. Perry is a 2001 graduate of Russellville High School and a 2005 graduate of Furman University.

Mrs. Perry was a cum laude graduate of the Pharmacy School and received the Glaxo Smith Kline Pharmaceuticals Award for Excellence in Patient Care. She was also a member Rho Chi, pharmacy’s national academic honor society.

The School of Pharmacy awarded 78 doctoral degrees during the university-wide commencement ceremony, which included the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Health Professions, and Graduate Studies. The keynote speaker for the 180th commencement was Stephen Colbert, political satirist and host of The Colbert Report. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from MUSC, where his father, James had served as the school’s first Vice-President for Academics.

Mrs. Perry will begin working for Delta Pharmacy in Charleston in July 2009. She is married to David Perry of Chapin, South Carolina, who is pursuing a joint M.D. /PhD. Degree from the Medical University of South Carolina.